Apple is putting its plan to launch a pay TV service on hold,
according to multiple reports. The plan was first reported by the
Wall Street Journal in March, with an initial launch date in
September, to coincide with the release of the Apple TV smart
television. According to reports, Apple encountered difficulty
signing agreements with content providers and will table the idea
for now. Apple had intended to offer a service for between $30 to
$40 per month, prompting skepticism from other pay TV providers
that charge more than twice that for basic packages. The company
also wanted to include local stations in the service, but found
out quickly that acquiring local content can be costly because
many local stations are franchised or owned through an affiliate
system. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment on whether the
pay TV service was being shelved temporarily or canceled
altogether.

Rumors began swirling Wednesday that Dow Chemical Co. and DuPont
have begun discussing a merger that would create a $130 billion
titan in the chemical industry, prompting both stocks to surge.
Shares of Dow Chemical spiked 11.7 percent to a record high of
$56.82 at one point during the trading day, while DuPont jumped
as much as 13.7 percent at one point and was very much on pace to
see its biggest one-day gain ever. The merger talks were first
reported Tuesday by the Wall Street Journal, who also said the
combined company would then be split into three. The new
companies would diversify the new company's agricultural,
chemical and materials businesses. Neither company has been
willing to speak publicly on the merger rumors, but multiple
sources were reporting it by Wednesday afternoon.

Yahoo Inc. reversed course on Wednesday, caving in to shareholder
opposition to its planned spinoff of shares in Alibaba Group
Holding Ltd. Instead, the once-dominant Internet giant will
package all of its Web assets into a new publicly traded company,
as suggested by activist shareholder Starboard Value.
Investors had expressed concern about the tax implications
of the Alibaba divestiture, despite arguments from company
leaders that the spinoff would be tax free for shareholders.
The decision to shift focus is considered a major blow for
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who was hired away from Google in 2012
to bring life back into the once-mighty Internet portal.

An unmanned drone crashed into the Seattle Great Wheel on
Wednesday afternoon, though no damage occurred to the 175-foot
tall Ferris Wheel. Police noted that no injuries occurred as a
result of the drone, which fell to the ground after colliding
with the wheel, crashing through a table. Police are
investigating the incident, which took place about 4:45 PM, and
it is unclear at this time who was controlling the drone. Police
say that drone accidents are unusual in Seattle, but this is the
second time one occurred this year. At Seattle's Pride Parade,
during the summer, a drone flew into a downtown building,
tumbling to the ground and striking a woman in the head. Police
were able to identify the man controlling that drone, and he was
charged with reckless endangerment for the incident.

Activision Blizzard revealed Thursday it has agreed to acquire
King Digital Entertainment, the Irish based maker of Candy Crush
Saga, for the tidy sum of $5.9 billion. The purchase price works
out to just about $18.00 per share, or a 20 percent premium over
King Digital's closing price on Wednesday. The deal has already
been approved by the board of directors at each company, but King
Digital shareholders must still approve the sale. The deal must
also gain approval of Irish regulators before the deal is
finalized, which the companies hope to occur by next spring.

The US Labor Department reported Thursday that initial
unemployment claims held steady last week, fueling the sentiment
that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates next month.
According to the report, initial claims came in at a
seasonally adjusted 276,000 for the week ended November 7th, the
same number of claims as there were in the previous week.
Economists noted that the number is consistent with a
stable labor sector, and could encourage the Fed to make a move
on rates. Claims have now been below 300,000 for a
staggering 36 weeks, and claims numbers are approaching levels
not seen since the 1970s. The unemployment rate, meanwhile,
has fallen to 5.0 percent, the lowest US jobless rate in more
than 7 years. The Fed has held the benchmark overnight
interest rate near zero since the end of 2008, and will discuss
raising the rate at next month's policy meeting.

Angie's List shares jumped almost 12 percent in after-hours
trading Wednesday after the company rebuked a $512 million buyout
offer from InterActive Corp (IAC). The offer represented a
10 percent premium over Wednesday's closing price on Angie's
shares. IAC made the offer public late in the day, saying
it would also consider merging its HomeAdvisor platform with
Angie's small business review business, creating a company that
would bring in revenue exceeding $700 million. Executive
leadership at Angie's has been under public pressure to consider
the Home Advisor merger since October, when TSC Capital publicly
suggested the union would give Angie's "the much-needed scale to
compete successfully in the $300 billion home services market."

Joe's Crab Shack this week began testing a no-tipping policy in
18 of its 130 restaurants across the country, paying servers a
higher hourly rate, raising prices to compensate and removing the
tip line from credit card receipts. The move makes the company
the first national chain to test a no-tipping policy after a
handful of smaller, local chains have tried the concept. Servers
typically earn $2.13 per hour plus tips, but that
federally-mandated minimum hasn't been increased since 1991. Most
recently, New York-based Union Square Hospitality Group did away
with tipping at its 13 New York eateries, including the Gramercy
Tavern and Union Square Cafe. A spokesman for the company said
that menu prices would increase about 20 percent as a result of
the move.

AB InBev revealed Wednesday it has agreed to pay $107 billion to
acquire SABMiller in a deal that would merge the world's two
largest beer makers. The combined company will produce nearly a
third of the world's beer, causing antitrust concerns to
regulators, especially in the US market. To ease those concerns,
SABMiller has agreed to sell off its controlling stake in a
venture with Molson Coors, including the rights to the Miller
brand name. Molson Coors will pay $12 billion for the SABMiller
stake, and will assume full control of daily operations of Miller
Lite, Miller High Life, and other brands. A name for the combined
company has not yet been determined.

Macy's Inc. reduced its full-year expectations on Wednesday,
sending shockwaves of concern among investors over the crucial
retail industry. Wednesday's move was the result of several
factors, including a warmer-than-usual winter that hurt sales of
heavy winter apparel. Macy's also revealed it would not create a
real estate investment vehicle for its stores, alarming some
investors and causing shares of the company to lose 14 percent of
their value on the day. The concern filtered over to other
retailers, as Urban Outfitters lost 7.4 percent on Wednesday, and
Michael Kors and Fossil each lost more than 4 percent.